It's the source of many arguments every year and families are known to get very angry if all their favourite Quality Street chocolates have been eaten.

It often seems as if there are fewer of one flavour than others, and now that has been confirmed by intrepid researchers.

There are more Fudge chocolates than any other type, while there are typically only four Orange Chocolate Crunches in a tub.

To dispel any tension ahead of the festive season, the researchers have devised the fairest way to trade the unloved treats in the box for the chocolate you are really after.

So if you pick up two Coconut Eclairs, you can swap them with a family member for one Green Triangle.

The graphics reveal what proportion of each chocolate you get in a 750g tub of Quality Street compared to the proportion people actually want based on poll data

The graphic compares how many of each chocolate you actually get in a tub of Quality Street compared to how many customers would choose to have in a tub

Researchers commissioned by CDA, a kitchen appliance company, counted the chocolates in 750g tubs of Quality Street to find out how many of each sweet you really get.

They found that on average you get 10 Fudges, nine Toffee Pennies, eight Orange Cremes, Coconut Eclairs, and Strawberry Delights, six Toffee Fingers, six Milk Choc Blocks, five The Purple Ones, Green Triangles, Honeycomb Crunches, and Orange Chocolate Crunches, and only four Caramel Swirls.

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However the calculations are based on older tubs as in October, Quality Street caved to pressure and brought back the popular Toffee Deluxe.

A poll of Quality Street customers found that most people would prefer there to be more The Purple Ones in a tub.

The most common chocolate in a tub of Quality Street is a Fudge bar, but poll data suggests that the most popular treat is The Purple One

The researchers devised this 'fair' trading system. The graph reveals how many of one type of chocolate you would have to swap for another based on its value, according to poll data. To find out what your favourite is worth, track your preferred chocolate vertically downwards to compare it against other chocolates on the horizontal axis. For example, one The Purple One is worth two Coconut Eclairs

They would also like the second highest number of chocolates in a tub to be Green Triangles, followed by Toffee Fingers.

The poll showed that most people would only want one Honeycomb Crunch in a tub too.

Unfortunately though, the chocolates in highest quantities are not customers' top favourites, which can lead to arguments amongst families at Christmas time.

But the CDA researchers have found a way to potentially diffuse any tension by introducing a 'fair' trading system.

They have calculated each Quality Street chocolate's worth, and have worked out how many of each chocolate you would need to give away to swap them for your favourite.

For example, they discovered that you would need to swap two less popular Coconut Eclairs for one of everyone's favourite, The Purple One.

One caramel swirl will also bag you two Strawberry Delights, according to the 'exchange rate'.

So if you have a family member who is known for stealing all the Green Triangles every year, try using the chart to win some of them back.